The present invention relates to eyeglass clip accessories for attaching eyeglass frames to garments, such as shirt pockets or belts and methods of assembling same.
While some people wear glasses constantly, others wear them only intermittently or change from clear to tinted glasses depending on the ambient light conditions. It is desirable to have a clip attached to a temple bar of the glasses to engage the edge of a garment, such as a shirt pocket or belt, thereby preventing the folded glasses from falling out when bending over. Many attempts at the ideal design and method of this clip have been made over the years. Some involve modification of the temple bar or permanent attachment of the clip to the temple bar at the time of manufacture. Other attachable clips are cumbersome to mount, alter the appearance of the glasses substantially, involve expensive manufacture, provide non rigid attachment, or are conformable to a limited range of temple piece cross sections.
Among the prior art patents include U.S. Pat. No. 1,779,015 of Schmitt, which teaches temple clips that are either molded as one piece with the temple bar or attached by riveting or by a clamp form fit to the temple bar cross section. U.S. Pat. No. 1,898,059 of McDonald discloses a temple clip attached with a split barrel clamp and retained with a set screw. With respect to removable retrofit clips for eyeglass temple bars, U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,375 of DiFranco describes an inexpensive plastic clip which simply attaches to a variety of temple pieces through the use of two rubber xe2x80x9coxe2x80x9d rings. This retrofit system of DiFranco ""375 is not a rigid attachment however. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,727 of McCloskey teaches several embodiments of an attachable pocket clip made of an elastically deformable material, such as a U-shaped spring steel clasp. Like DiFranco ""375, McCloskey ""727 does not teach a rigid attachment, and its U-shaped embodiment does not provide a secure fit. Different designs are used for different temple piece cross sections.
For example, McDonald ""059 teaches attaching a retrofit clip to an eyeglass temple bar piece by an artificial, extra attachment member, such as a sleeve attached to the clip which slides over the temple bar piece. In addition, in Schmitt ""015 the clip is attached either by rivets, or by an internal wire extending all the way through the temple bar piece and clip.
Whenever there is an external piece such as the sleeve of McDonald ""059 or the rivet of Schmitt ""015, there is usually a protruding element which could scratch the wearer""s skin or eyes. In addition, the longitudinally extending wire piece of Schmitt is difficult to manufacture, as the wire has to be imbedded within the temple bar piece.
Two old foreign patents, namely Swiss patent no. 421,551 dated Sep. 30, 1966 of Albanesi and French patent no. 1,162,365 dated Nov. 2, 1958 of Boissot describe a clip molded with an eyeglass temple bar of an eyeglass frame. However, these two patents do not mention using particular types of thermoplastic resins or bendable metal alloys to insure that the clips resist torsional (bending) stresses because of the constant on and off moving of the eyeglasses and clip to and from shirt pockets.
Among recent patents describing the use of thermoplastic resins for resisting torsional bending of non-analogous objects subject to constant stress include U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,674 Clover for wheelchair parts, U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,911 Kruesi in the industrial sector for a lightweight self insulating composite tool; in automotive use, U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,954 of Bloemer for a pivoting extensible rear hitch attachment for equipment carrier; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,779 of Aoyama for a motor vehicle body structure.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,316,654 and 4,496,224, both of Allen, teach eyeglass frames with pocket clips where the frames themselves are manufactured with pocket clips attached to the rims of eyeglass lenses. U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,906 of Kren discloses an eyeglass storage clip attached to a temple piece with a dual barrel design. It consists of several parts and uses spring clips to attach to a garment or pocket.
The disadvantages of the prior art are either that the temple bar pocket clips are difficult to assemble or assemble when the eye glasses are manufactured, as in Schmitt ""075, McDonald ""059, Allen ""654, Allen ""224 or Kren ""906, or that the retrofit configurations of DiFranco ""375 or McCloskey ""727 are flimsy and not designed for long term rigid attachments.
Therefore, the objects of the present invention are as follows:
It is an object of the present invention to provide eyeglass frame clips that use particular types of thermoplastic resins or bendable metal alloys to insure that the clips resist torsional bending stresses produced by the constant insertion and removal of the eyeglasses and clip to and from pockets and other locations of attachment.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an integral pocket clip that is conformable to a wide variety of eyeglass temple pieces.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a liquid adhesive attachment method for retrofit attachment of a pocket clip to a temple bar of a pair of eyeglasses.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an attachment pocket clip which blends in with the eyeglasses and adds minimal bulk.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a dry adhesive attachment method for retrofit attachment of a pocket clip for a temple bar of a pair of eyeglasses.
It is also another object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive pocket clip attachment set for retrofitting a temple bar of a pair of eyeglasses with a pocket clip that is easy for the user to attach.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a pocket clip specially designed for very narrow metal temple pieces.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to improve over the disadvantages of the prior art.
In keeping with these objects and others which may become apparent, the present invention relates to pocket clips which are of the general shape of molded plastic pocket clips commonly used on inexpensive pens. The clip is intended to be molded of thermoplastic resins such as polycarbonate or polyvinylchloride in a variety of colors to match eyeglass temple pieces. In addition, these clips can also be finished in a metallic tone.
The present invention solves the problem of the constant removal and replacement of glasses in and out of pockets producing repetitive stress on an eyeglass frame pocket clip. The stress is placed on the clip at the point of attachment to the pocket, and is especially great when the pocket is made of heavy cloth such as wool and flannel.
The stress is also great at the apex of the clip where it is joined with the temple bar. The tension or torsional force that is created by the opposition of the clip to the temple bar, is the force which holds the eyeglasses firmly in place in the pocket. The torsional force increases with the weight and size of the eyeglasses. The clip which is the source of the torsional pressure must be able to withstand the tension that it creates.
The pocket clip member resists torsional bending stresses caused by the constant on and off insertion or removal of the eyeglasses and clip to and from shirt pockets or other attachments. The cantilevered clip is twisted and stressed when the clip holds the eyeglass frame to the shirt pocket in a strong bond.
However, the clip is adapted to undergo controlled elastic deformation from an unstressed configuration in response to torsional bending and twisting stress when the clip is inserted or removed from the pocket. The clip is further adapted to resiliently return to the unstressed configuration upon removal of the torsional bending and twisting stress, when fully inserted or removed from the pocket.
Prior art has illustrated designs for eyeglass pocket clips. However until the advent of modern space age materials and manufacturing techniques, the earlier ideas could not be practically implemented.
One of these materials, thermoplastic resins, has been used with increasing frequency to overcome stress problems in many different applications.
For example, as noted before, thermoplastic resins have been used in the medical field for wheelchairs, as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,674 Clover; in the industrial sector, for a lightweight self insulating composite tool, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,911 of Kruesi; in automotive use, for a pivoting extensible rear hitch attachment for equipment carrier, as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,954 of Bloemer; and for a motor vehicle body structure, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,779 of Aoyama.
Another space age development in the area of metallurgy, has been the method devised to create new alloys such as nickel-titanium. These alloys enable manufacturers to produce elastic-type metallic products such as an alloy called liquid-metal. Liquid metal is produced by a patented zero-gravity, fusion process.
The application of modern materials and advanced methodologies have overcome countless limitations seemingly imposed upon earlier inventors by the laws of physics and chemistry
Until the present invention there has been no pocket clip that was shown to be able to overcome the torsional stress required to repeatedly secure an adult size pair of eyeglasses in a pocket, particularly where the pocket is made of thick cloth. The present invention makes this possible by using space-age metals and plastics that withstand 360 degree bending and knot-like rotating and twisting.
Since eyeglass pocket clips are not in common use, it is obvious that effective pocket clips would be made using uncommon methods. This involves not only the materials described above, but the applications of sophisticated metallurgical and thermoplastic manufacturing techniques. With such materials there is obtained a high moment of inertia relative to the section weight to provide strong bending and torsional stiffness.
Moreover, since some of these products are themselves revolutionary, earlier inventors could not have foreseen the utility of these applications. Hence, it is not reasonable to suggest that such solutions were obvious to those skilled in the art.
Clover ""674 cited the need for a structural member that was inexpensive to make, preferably by injection molding, to control the torsional bending required in the application. This solved the problem of meeting the needs of different users.
By analogy, applicant""s invention overcomes the problem of random amounts of torsional stress produced by varying thickness of materials which the clip would engage.
In order to overcome the problem of gaining access to the rear of a vehicle when it is equipped with a loaded bicycle rack, in a pivoting extensible rear hitch attachment for an equipment carrier, Bloemer ""954 utilized structural steel xe2x80x98Cxe2x80x99 channels to provide torsional and bending stiffness to support the equipment.
By analogy to Bloemer ""954, applicant""s invention achieves similar torsional bending results with the use of super-elastic alloys and plastics.
In a motor vehicle body structure employing a sandwiched structural body, in order to provide for a motor vehicle body with greater rigidity to torsional and bending stresses Aoyama ""779 describes an auto body component which is made of fiber reinforced plastic, the matrix of which is thermoplastic resin. Again, by comparison to applicant""s clip, a torsional stress problem was solved with modern materials.
The purpose of Kruesi ""901 was to create a lightweight screwdriver that could withstand high electrical charges. To achieve the purpose, the tool shank is made of composite materials including epoxies and resins such as Union Carbide ERL-4221 Cycloaliphatic, Dow Derakane-8084, Advanced Polymer Science""s Siloxirane, and high thermoplastics such as PET Polyester, Polysulfone, nylon, RTM, etc.
Notably, these materials as well as the injection molded thermoplastic handle provide the requisite bending stiffness without making the tool excessively bulky. Once again modern methods and materials have provided the solution.
Despite the enormous market for a workable pocket clip for every pair of eyeglasses and sunglasses, no development or manufacture has occurred.
The Boissot Patent 1958, and Albanesi 1966, are 52 and 43 years old, respectively. Although each patent includes drawings as xe2x80x9cFIG. 6xe2x80x9d, which show some similarity in appearance, the fact is none of those pocket clips has ever been widely implemented.
Given the advantages of applicant""s invention, surely, if obvious, those skilled in the art would have developed and marketed the idea. Undoubtedly, in the intervening decades since Boissot and Albanesi hundreds of millions of glasses of all types, have been designed, made and sold. Despite the obvious skill of the various worldwide designers and makers of glasses, and the immense increase in the use of glasses and sunglasses, there is no effective pocket clip for them. This is overwhelming proof by itself, that applicant""s invention is not obvious.
The torsional bending problem which is inherent with a pocket clip for glasses was never considered by Boissot or Albanesi. By utilizing modern materials and methods of manufacture, applicant has found the solution to this inherent problem. Accordingly, the references to Boissot and Albanesi, are weak at best, and should not be relied upon to reject applicant""s claims.
Even if attempts had been made to implement the Boissot and Albanesi ideas, the results would be have been unsuccessful.
In the preferred embodiment for plastic eyeglass frames, the clip is manufactured and molded integral with the temple bar piece as a one piece unit, to engage the edge of an article of clothing. The pocket clip includes a base having a cantilevered clothing engaging portion extending therefrom.
In a further embodiment, the clip is die cast integral with metal temple bars of metal eyeglass frames. Alternatively, the eyeglass frame can be made of a combination of plastic and metal.
The eyeglass frame temple bar pieces with integral clips thereon can be made from a weldable or solderable, metallic material that is sufficiently resilient and flexible to withstand torsional forces that are applied to the eyeglass frame, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,806 of DiChiara.
According to DiChiara ""806, the temple bar pieces with integral clips thereon can be made from a nickel silver, stainless steel, titanium, or from a Monel alloy, such as a nickel silver known as M215 available from Salero Maddalena and Csrl, Solbiate Arno, Italy.
The eyeglass frames can be from non-metallic materials, such as plastic, which is sufficiently resilient and durable.
The resilient and durable plastics can include thermoplastics, polypropylene, polyethylene or thermosetting polymers, such as those with silicone or metals therein.
The one piece temple bar piece with an integral clip can also be made by such processes for making eyeglass frames as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,489 of Jannard. Jannard ""489 discloses a variety of materials can be utilized to produce a eyewear pieces.
A variety of metals and alloys, such as chrome molybdenum, chromium, nickel molybdenum, nickel molybdenum and chrome vanadium steel alloys, can be used. Copper, aluminum and silver based alloys can also be used. Preferably, however, according to Jannard ""489 lightweight, high strength materials such as titanium a titanium-based alloy or titanium based metal matrix composite such as TI6AL4V, available from Timet Corp., are utilized in constructing the eyeglass frames.
In general, any investment castable metal or metal containing material can be used in making the eyeglass frame and integral clip, such as through routine experimentation by one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the disclosure contained herein.
For example, machining techniques, casting and forging methods can be used. With respect to casting techniques, metal framed eyewear can be produced utilizing permanent mold castings, dye castings, sand castings, or investment casting techniques, utilizing a ceramic mold. The mold is formed by pouring a slurry of a material such as a known mold forming refractory material around an orbital or eyeglass pattern, which is maintained in position within a flask as is understood in the investment casting art. Following a preliminary drying, the mold is baked in an oven to melt the pattern, thereby leaving an empty mold cavity. The investment mold is thereafter fired at a temperature which is appropriate for the metal to be used, and, while still hot, molten metal is poured into the mold and allowed to solidify. The mold is thereafter broken away from the casting to produce the cast orbital or eyeglass. The cast component may thereafter be subject to post-casting operations such as sanding, polishing, grinding, or otherwise as desired to produce the finished product.
In addition to the conventional metals and metal alloys, the eyeglass frame temple bar piece and integral clip can be also made with metal matrix composites, metal-polymer blends and potentially purely polymeric plastic compositions.
The eyeglass clip of the present invention compensates for the fact that the cantilevered clip exerts a significant bending moment upon the temple bar piece to which it is attached, due to the high torsional component of a cantilevered piece being subject to twisting and bending stresses when applied to the shirt pocket over time.
In the embodiment for an attached clip, slow drying glues such as rubber cement or paper muscilage are not appropriate, since they take a long time to dry and do not have the adhesive strength of the liquid instant adhesive cyanoacrylate used in one embodiment of the present invention.
Cyanoacrylate adhesive for attaching a clip was found to be cured in a matter of less than one minute, and it created a strong bond between the plastic clip and the plastic eyeglass frame.
The clip was tested repeatedly under different types of thickness"" of clothing, such as thin summer shirts or thicker fall and winter shirts, as well as even thicker jacket pockets under different weather conditions, such as hot or cold weather, as well as sunny or stormy, humid weather.
It was found that the clip stayed in place under various challenging conditions and that it did not loosen after repeated applications of the eyeglass and clip to a shirt pocket.
It was found that the fast, strong bond counteracted any adverse effects of the cantilevered clip exerting a significant bending moment upon the temple bar piece to which it was attached, from the high torsional component of the cantilevered piece being twisted and stressed when the clip held the eyeglass frame to the shirt pocket in a strong bond.
In addition, the present invention is done without a protruding member to scratch the skin or eye of the user, such as the rivets of Schmitt or the sleeve of McDonald.
This avoids the need for an external piece such as the sleeve of McDonald or the rivet of Schmitt, which could scratch the wearer""s skin or eyes. In addition, the present invention does not need a longitudinally extending wire piece such as in Schmitt, which is difficult to manufacture, as the wire has to be imbedded within the temple bar piece.
The clip becomes an integral part of the eyeglass frame and will not slip, detach or loosen as the non-fixed McDonald design will. The clip of the present invention obviates the need to drill holes or otherwise modify the temple bar of the eyeglass frame.
Therefore, according to the present invention, a pair of eyeglasses includes a pocket clip which is integral with a temple bar piece, or is strongly attached to one of its temple pieces, by adhesive or the like. An alternate embodiment includes a clip including a slot for insertion of an adhesive band therethrough.
Furthermore, in another embodiment, instead of a cantilevered clip, the clip may be a gripper clip, such as a spring loaded alligator clip.